Youth Batting Stance Tips
By Charles "Popcorn" Thompson
The youth batting stanceThe youth batting stance has changed so much over the last decade or so. It has obviously been influenced by the batting stances of the mlb players. I don't think the change is good for youth batters who try to imitate their favorite mlb player's batting stance. Batters don't hit from the stance, they hit from the load position. But an extreme stance can make getting to the load position very difficult for the youth batter. I prefer to teach my young students a very basic "square" stance in the beginning of our training sessions. As they get older, I give
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them more freedom to experiment with the stance...until it starts negatively affecting their hitting.
Professional batting stances
Have you seen the many different stances of professional baseball players days? Some are downright humorous to watch. What about Craig Counsell with his arms stretched over his head? And Kevin Youkilis, what is he doing with his hands spread apart? And Jeff Bagwell with the extremely wide feet and knees almost outside of his feet, looks weird. Their extreme stances obviously works for them, but will they work for most young hitters? There is one thing for sure, we don't hit from the stance, we hit from the load position. That is why those guys are so successful from the weird stances. If you study them, you will notice one thing...they all look basically the same at the load position and at contact.
If you take a look at someone like Ken Griffey, Jr.'s stance, it's pretty basic. He doesn't hit from the stance either, but when he gets to the position, he looks basically the same as Youkilis, Bagwell, Counsell, and the rest of the guys with weird stances. What makes Griffey different is that he can make the transition into the load position much more smoothly than the others. Why? Because he keeps it simple from the start. The other guys are good hitters, but Griffey is a great hitter. And I think that his greatness starts with his simple stance, nothing fancy, nothing showy. There are no wasted movements from the stance to the load position, just a smooth transition.
If you take a look at someone like Ken Griffey, Jr.'s stance, it's pretty basic. He doesn't hit from the stance either, but when he gets to the position, he looks basically the same as Youkilis, Bagwell, Counsell, and the rest of the guys with weird stances. What makes Griffey different is that he can make the transition into the load position much more smoothly than the others. Why? Because he keeps it simple from the start. The other guys are good hitters, but Griffey is a great hitter. And I think that his greatness starts with his simple stance, nothing fancy, nothing showy. There are no wasted movements from the stance to the load position, just a smooth transition.
Let's start with the grip
The baseball batting grip is one of the most overlooked things in youth baseball. When working with a new student, always start with the grip. The proper grip allows the hands to work together as a single unit, while an improper grip causes the hands to work against themselves. This can really be seen at contact. A hitter will have better bat control and maximum bat speed with a proper grip. An incorrect grip can be spotted from the dugout. The elbows and wrists are good indicators of an improper grip. If the knuckles are not aligned properly the front elbow especially will be too high. This usually happens when the third (the largest) knuckles are aligned.
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Another indication of an improper grip is when both wrists are "straight" from the back of the hand to the forearm. I like to see a slight "V" formed at the back of the wrists. This slight "V" along with the front and back elbows at about a 45 degree angle is a pretty good indication that the batter has a proper grip.
Many youth hitters will choke the bat in the palm which doesn't allow them to be in a strong position at contact. Start by holding the bat in the fingers not in the palm of the hand. The fingers should grip the bat in a relaxed manner in the stance. Don't worry about the batter throwing the bat. When the batter starts the swing, the fingers will grip the bat more firmly to keep from throwing the bat.
The grip should be with the "door knocking" knuckles aligned. This will help the hands to work together at contact. This grip should be taught to youth hitters early. Many youth hitters will have the second knuckles aligned with the third knuckles and even the third knuckles together (this is pretty extreme). I know that many big-leaguers will have their second and third knuckles together, but notice the knuckles at contact, the second knuckles ("door knocking") are aligned. The reason for this is because they don't have a "death grip" on the bat, and their knuckles align themselves during the swing. Many youth hitters will grip the bat so tight that their knuckles could never get aligned in this manner.
Many youth hitters will choke the bat in the palm which doesn't allow them to be in a strong position at contact. Start by holding the bat in the fingers not in the palm of the hand. The fingers should grip the bat in a relaxed manner in the stance. Don't worry about the batter throwing the bat. When the batter starts the swing, the fingers will grip the bat more firmly to keep from throwing the bat.
The grip should be with the "door knocking" knuckles aligned. This will help the hands to work together at contact. This grip should be taught to youth hitters early. Many youth hitters will have the second knuckles aligned with the third knuckles and even the third knuckles together (this is pretty extreme). I know that many big-leaguers will have their second and third knuckles together, but notice the knuckles at contact, the second knuckles ("door knocking") are aligned. The reason for this is because they don't have a "death grip" on the bat, and their knuckles align themselves during the swing. Many youth hitters will grip the bat so tight that their knuckles could never get aligned in this manner.
Now let's talk about the feet
The foundation of a solid youth baseball batting stance starts with the feet. The feet should never be less than shoulder width apart. In fact, they should be wider than the shoulders. Balance is the key. When an athlete's feet starts less than shoulder width apart balance becomes a problem. When a basketball player guards another player, the feet are always wider than the shoulders. So, how wide should the feet be in the batting stance? When a linebacker in football takes his stance, his feet are wider than his shoulders. The athletic position in almost every sport starts with the feet wider than the shoulders. Read more about the feet in the batting stance.
Bend the knees
When the knees are bent and the chest is over the knees, the youth batter will be in a strong, balanced position. The knees should bent during the load so that good balance can be maintained during the transition of swing. Also, the knees should be "inside" the feet in the stance and even during the load phase.
Chest-over-knees
As mentioned earlier, it is important to be in a "chest-over-knees" position with the upper body. This will insure that the youth batter will be on the "balls of the feet" during the transition phase of the swing. If a hitter starts the swing with the weight on the heels, the result will usually be poor balance to contact.
A few more tips
- Keep your head up and your eyes level to the pitcher.
- Place your hands at the back shoulder.
- Don't place your hands too close or too far away from your body.
- Keep the front shoulder either level with or slightly lower than the back shoulder.
- Keep the front elbow down.
- Place the hands no lower than the top of the strike zone.
- Don't let the back elbow get too high.
- Keep the knees "inside" the feet.
- The toes of both feet should be pointed straight ahead in the direction of home plate.
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